IMPROVING VEHICLE-TO-VEHICLE COMPATIBILITY IN FRONTAL COLLISIONS: THE DEVELOPMENT OF TEST PROCEDURES AND PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility is considered the next greatest potential benefit for improving car occupant safety since the introduction of the European Frontal and Side Impact Directives in October 1998. Compatibility problems between cars include over-riding on impact, and the penetration of the hard parts of one vehicle into the soft parts of another. Heavier cars usually have stiffer fronts, increasing the risk of over-riding in a collision with a smaller vehicle. The importance of passenger compartment strength is outlined. Procedures to assess and control frontal impact compatibility, including full width structural interaction test, offset deformable barrier test for frontal stiffness, and the passenger compartment strength test are described. Three new test procedures to assess and control both compatibility and frontal impact are under development to control passenger compartment intrusion and provide a safe environment within which the restraint system can operate. For the covering abstract see ITRD E118297.